Herbert Nathaniel Davis

Herbert Nathaniel Davis (20 December 1867 – 14 March 1900) was an Australian architect responsible for designing a number of the extant heritage buildings in Fremantle, Western Australia.[1][2]

Herbert Nathaniel Davis
Born(1867-12-20)December 20, 1867
DiedMarch 14, 1900(1900-03-14) (aged 32)
Ord Street, Fremantle, Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
OccupationArchitect
SpouseMiriam Louise Levine
Children1

He died at the age of 32, and was interred in the Jewish section of Fremantle Cemetery.[1]

Biography

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Early life

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Davis was born on 20 December 1867 in Sydney, New South Wales, into a Jewish family.[3] His father Eleazor (or Eleazer) M. Davis, originally from Exeter,[4] was a businessman,[2] importing and selling a variety of goods from their shop "The Civet Cat" (also known as "The Civet Cat Fancy and General Repository"[5] and "The Civet Cat Fancy Bazaar")[6] at 98 King Street in central Sydney.[2][7] His mother Frances (Fanny) Matilda Lazarus of London[4] raised Herbert and his elder brother Edward Davis, and suffered a number of miscarriages between the births of the two boys.[2]

In December 1865, a fire destroyed a great deal of the shop's stock — more than they were insured for.[2][8] They relocated briefly to George Street[9] before returning to their original location a year later.[10] Five years before the fire, the business had also briefly been declared insolvent and was unable to reopen until 1863.[11][12]

Davis' mother died in 1888, when Davis was 19,[2] and his father died in 1908 at his son Edward's home after returning to London.[13]

Not much is known of Davis' education, but by the age of 21 he was a member of the Hebrew Literary and Debating Society, debating at the Great Synagogue.[2] Soon after this he moved to Western Australia.

Marriage and family

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Davis married Miriam Louise "May" Levine in August 1894 and, a little over a year later, their daughter, Gladys Elizabeth "Poppy", was born in Fremantle.[2][14] After Davis' death, May and Poppy were both nurses at St. Omer's Hospital in Perth[15][16] before Poppy moved to Melbourne and became engaged to Bombay-based accountant John Hewet Hardie.[17] Davis only had one grandchild, Hewitt Ian, who died in Bombay in March 1920 at two days old.[18] Poppy died in February 1972 and left the public trustee as the sole executioner of her will.[19][20]

Buildings

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In addition to a number of villas and cottages in places such as Cottesloe Beach[21] and on Beach Street,[22] Davis' portfolio included:

Architectural practice

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After briefly setting up business in 1892[2] in the Swan Chambers building in Hay Street in the Perth CBD, Davis moved to Fremantle where he was to have a successful career, albeit one that lasted little more than a decade. In 1896, he entered into a partnership with G. Anketell Wilson and they operated Davis and Wilson out of a building on Cliff Street in Fremantle.[27] For a time, he also operated out of the Rialto Chambers.[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Garry Gillard (11 February 2016). "Fremantle Stuff > People > Herbert Nathaniel Davis". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Taylor, John J. (November 2013), Herbert Nathaniel Davis (PDF), Australian Institute of Architects, archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2016
  3. ^ Taylor, John J. Between Duty and Design: The Architect-soldier Sir J.J. Talbot Hobbs. p. 69.
  4. ^ a b "Marriages". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1856. p. 1. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 December 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 1867. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Bazaar". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 October 1867. p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "The Fire in King Street". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 7. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Fire! Fire!". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 1865. p. 10. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 1866. p. 14. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Law - In Insolvency". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 May 1861. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Civet Cat Civet Cat Civet Cat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 November 1863. p. 6. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Deaths". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1908. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Births". Trove. National Library of Australia. 23 October 1895. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Mainly About People". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Marriages". Trove. National Library of Australia. 6 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Coastal Gossip". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1918. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  18. ^ "R.I.P." Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1920. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Legal notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 1972. p. 36. Retrieved 26 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "In the manner of the estates..." Trove. National Library of Australia. 5 May 1972. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  21. ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 25 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  22. ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 15 December 1894. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  23. ^ "New Buildings at Fremantle". The West Australian. Vol. 11, no. 2, 887. Western Australia. 20 May 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 19 October 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Commercial Building, 1 Pakenham Street". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  26. ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 18 July 1895. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Business Announcements". Trove. National Library of Australia. 24 March 1896. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  28. ^ "To Builders". Trove. National Library of Australia. 21 April 1898. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
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